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3 biggest things that happened in Tech world this week (September 20-27)

Sunday, September 27, 2015

Microsoft Office 16 release

Office 16 is out of preview. It represents Microsoft's most obvious effort yet to catch up with Google Drive. Though the new release looks generally the same as the last version, it's designed for sharing and collaboration in a way that Office 2013 really wasn't. In particular, Office 2016 introduces real-time co-authoring (a feature already available in the web version of Office), along with the ability to attach OneDrive files to emails in Outlook. In addition to Google, though, the new software takes aim at various other tools businesses might be using, including Slack (for chatting) and Trello (for to-do lists and task management). You might even be able to avoid the browser sometimes, thanks to built-in Bing search results. Microsoft's goal with Office 2016, then, wasn't just to match what Google Docs can do, but to ensure business users in particular barely need to leave the app.

Malware and viruses hit Apple

Researchers found over 4000 trojanized apps on Apple’s App Store. The hidden code added by XcodeGhost to applications collects identifying information about devices they’re installed on and can open URLs. The rogue tool’s creators could have added more harmful functionality, but they apparently chose not to, at least for now. While the command-and-control servers used by XcodeGhost have been taken down, the malicious apps still try to connect to them using unencrypted HTTP connections. Such HTTP sessions are vulnerable to hijacking by other attackers, it said. Since security companies keep identifying more infected apps, it’s hard for users to keep track of them manually or even to rely on a single product to detect them. All they can do is hope that Apple is working to remove the apps from the App Store and notify users.

Pebble Time Round release

Pebble Time Round will come in a few different styles: a leather strap in a variety of colors for $249, or with a metal band in gold or black for $299. The style of the bezel varies a bit depending on your strap of choice.Pebble Time Round goes up for pre-order on Pebble.com today, with shipments expected sometime “in November”. At least according to an Amazon product page that popped up for the device this morning, they’re aiming for November 10th, specifically.